Collecting Modern Papers: Some Inherent Challenges
This paper attempts to highlight some of the challenges commonly encountered by archivists working with modern papers. For the purpose of the study, modern papers were defined as ones where the creator of the papers is still living or has died relatively recently. Five separate case studies of modern papers in the women’s history, political, family, professional association, and literary genres were based on personal interviews with six practicing archivists. Findings indicate that modern papers, as compared to more historical ones, often translate to increased complexity in donor relations; issues of privacy, trust between archivist and donor, and ego are common. Physical concerns include a general increase in the size of collections, the likelihood of multiple accessions, and problematic special formats. Finally, the modern market for manuscript materials in general has become quite pricey, at times prohibitively so.
School:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School Location:USA - North Carolina
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:special collections acquisitions collection case studies
Date of Publication:04/13/2005